Requiem is a future war tale by E.L. Strife. It is the second book of the Infinite Spark series. I highly recommend reading the first book in the series before you read this one. There is a lot going on and I think you will enjoy everything more if you start from the beginning. I plan to go back and read that first book just because Requiem is so good, and I want to learn more about the origins of these characters and this war. The war itself is a spectacular concept. The soldiers are complex and well written. Even though it is a futuristic, end of time conflict, I could relate to it. I guess some things about war never change and E.L. Strife caught those timeless components brilliantly. The stakes are high, the pain and chaos are real, and the determination to protect the weak and innocent is as strong as I’ve ever seen.

It took me a while to figure out exactly what was going on in Requiem, simply because there was so much going on. That was fine because the writing and battles kept me fascinated as I learned the bigger picture. The plot is excellent and is revealed slowly amid the chaos of fighting for survival. The setting is the future and it is an amazing future with alien races and combat abilities that will blow your mind. The soldiers are the best part of the story though, the shepherds who guard humanity at an astounding cost to their own humanity sometimes. I loved Sergeant Bennett, Atana, and Azure. Their struggle to understand who they are, what they are fighting for, and what they mean to each other is a very interesting and satisfying part of the story. I loved Requiem and I think other fans of good science fiction will love it too.

Requiem is the second entry in the Infinite Spark Series by E. L. Strife, a novel with powerful dystopian hints, featuring a universe that is splintering with chaos, and compelling characters, including alien telepaths, assassins, a shady “Command” and a lot more. The plot offers the unveiling of a devastating secret. The Universal Protectors have a lot to handle, and a dire threat is headed towards the Earth, one that is about to decimate it. Shaky and fragile alliances must be made and new heroes are needed. But can anyone withstand what is headed towards Earth?

Packed with action and featuring interesting drama, Requiem presents grim and mournful images of a world in chaos. The characters are well-imagined and they include non-human beings. My favorite characters were Sergeant Bennett and Sergeant Atana. E. L. Strife keeps them real and each has a well-defined role to play in the unfolding drama. The writing is impeccably good and I enjoyed the clarity with which the author captures the elements of the setting and focus when writing about battle scenes. The dialogues are well-written and they have a natural feel to them. The author uses the dialogues to deepen character and plot, allowing the conflict to move forward in a way that is smooth yet unpredictable. The unpredictability in plot development is one of the strengths of this story and it prompts the reader to keep on turning the pages, wanting to know what becomes of the world they have begun to care about and the characters they have started to love. This is a great read for fans of science fiction with a strong conflict and likable characters.